In the news: Using sensors to detect weather and road conditions

February 24, 2014

A news story aired on ABC 57 highlights the Integrated Mobile Observations (IMO) research being conducted by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and UMTRI.

Michigan is one of only three states conducting the federally-funded IMO research to use sensor technology to measure road and weather conditions and prioritize winter maintenance. The research involves outfitting fleet vehicles with sensors to collect atmospheric condition data and data about the state of the pavement condition from a smartphone mounted on the vehicle's dashboard as it travels down the road.

Data collected from MDOT fleet vehicles is sent every five minutes to a secure server at UMTRI and then on to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado. NCAR will use the data to explore and develop applications to provide near real-time advisory warnings for motorists and provide snowplow drivers with improved weather forecasts and road treatment applications.